FOR | AGAINST
We are FOR individualism, accomplishment and excellence.
We are AGAINST the mediocrity, self pity, condemnation and discouragement of the news media and of “normal” people sleepwalking through life.
We are FOR alchemy. We believe that there is everywhere lead waiting to be transformed into gold. Opportunity hides literally under every rock and shade tree.
We are AGAINST scarcity that says that everything you receive was forcibly taken from somebody else. Entrepreneurship is about making new pies, not dividing up old ones.
We are FOR you, regardless of mistakes you’ve made. Whatever stupidity spasms you’ve had in the past don’t matter. If you owe $100,000 and you’re scraping change out of your car seats for lunch today… if every time you pick up the kids at your ex’s apartment you’re accused of being a devil… we are still FOR you.
We are AGAINST complainers, fault-finders and critics. It’s easy to criticize. It’s hard to take action. But in the end, only action-takers make history.
We are FOR marching into every battle prepared and engaged and equipped to fight.
We are AGAINST all who would send soldiers into battle armed with plastic swords and helmets.
We are FOR those who take responsibility to arm themselves and invest in quality weapons and tools needed for battle.
We are AGAINST those who think that it is someone else’s responsibility to prepare them for business or life or give them a “free” education.
We are FOR the wise use of technology. We are for every tool that makes you more productive and more effective and able to serve others.
We are AGAINST using technology to abuse people, spam them, or dehumanize them. We use technology to express individuality, not erase it.
We are FOR gratitude and celebration under every circumstance. No matter how many times you fail, the sunrise still comes tomorrow morning. The autumn leaves still radiate brilliance in the fall, and lovely flowers grow in the spring. No matter what befalls you, the world is still a beautiful place.
We are AGAINST the crippling belief that the past dictates the future. We know that if you can look up, you can get up.
We are FOR gifts and giftedness. We are for expertise and specialization. We acknowledge that each of us wields precious talents. We sharpen our skills. We discover ways to delegate the rest to those who have different gifts than us.
We are AGAINST the belief that any one person has to do everything or be everything.
We are FOR human ingenuity because it’s the mother of all natural resources.
We are AGAINST the false belief that finite physical resources mean finite possibilities.
We are FOR the hand of Providence. We are humble enough to request help when we need it.
We are AGAINST the self-deception and pride that says we’re smart enough to figure it all out by ourselves.
We are FOR innovations, developments and paradigm shifts. We transport the future into the present.
We are AGAINST “business as usual” passivity and lazy “wait and see” attitudes. We are proactive.
We are FOR timeless principles and age-old wisdom. We study the ancient masters and respect those who have come before us.
We are AGAINST those who destroy the old simply because it is old. We judge ideas by their value and permanence, not by their age.
We are FOR making every minute count.
We are AGAINST time-vampires, time wasters and time killers.
We are FOR entrepreneurs and all who move resources from areas of low value to areas of high value.
We are AGAINST those who de-value business and burden us with excessive responsibilities, taxes and restrictions.
We are FOR communities, networks and relationships. We recognize that for every problem that needs to be solved, there is someone we can turn to who has already solved it.
We are AGAINST loneliness, isolation and discouragement. We know that the #1 cause of failure is lack of accountability, community and wise counsel. We know there is no such thing as a self-made man. Everyone has a father and a mother and everyone comes from a tribe.
We are FOR the daily discovery and unfolding of our personal destiny.
We are AGAINST the limitations imposed by other peoples’ judgments and prejudice.
We are FOR your unique performance, reputation and achievement.
We are AGAINST everyone who says you should apologize for your success.
We are FOR the Golden Rule. The highest level of conducting business is loving your customers.
We are AGAINST those who sell things to strangers that they would never sell to their friends.
We are FOR recreation, creativity and refreshment. We believe that friendships, rest and fun fuel our life force and nourish our creative engines.
We are AGAINST slavish devotion to anything, including our work. We do not live to work. We work to live.
Perry Marshall
Download the FOR/AGAINST manifesto in PDF
You are welcome to copy, forward or re-post this, with attribution.
Comments on FOR | AGAINST »
Larry @ 11:46 am
Great eye-opening controversy, Perry.
At our house….
We are AGAINST the freedom-sucking Globalist Socialist elite that have invaded business and Government like a cancer virus, of whom Obama is just a front man.
We are for prosperity, individual self-determination and freedom to breathe without stifling intervention.
As far as not criticizing or fault-finding, Perry, that is necessary to frame the invasive threat.
Joshua Boswell @ 11:55 am
Perry,
Bravo. I love the list… and I love the marketing mind behind it.
Well done.
– Joshua
Jet @ 11:56 am
Perry,
I like it when you get a bee in your bonnet! (I was going to say something more graphic, but this is family content after all……
Oh yeah, I’m FOR and AGAINST right along with you.
Funny. You said, “Pass it on,” so I took you at your word and did. I sent it to more than half my contacts. Everybody has their favorite in the list – but you already knew that, didn’t you?
Phil Martin @ 12:09 pm
I am for parents being involved parents and being a positive influence in their children’s lives.
I am against parents thinking that they have no choice but to let others raise their children because they “have to” work.
Bring back the family business where everyone contributes and wins or loses together.
Frank Welzig @ 12:15 pm
This is going up on my bathroom mirror. I don’t need to see myself every day but I would like to read this every day. Thanks.
Peter Brissette with Custom Facebook Page Template @ 12:16 pm
Perry,
You have no idea how close to home some of this hits for me!!! It was serious but it made me laugh too.
Thanks for the shot in the arm!!!
Peter
Scott Lovingood @ 12:32 pm
We are FOR Boldness – Every great decision requires boldness to be effective. Nothing is gained from being passive.
We are AGAINST Timidity – Don’t let the world pass you buy because of fear. Take heart and take the challenge.
We are FOR Perry Marshall Just cause he’s cool and deep and makes us think.
We are AGAINST 1984 and taking away the creativity of language which inspires us.
We are FOR Greatness – because without greatness we never know what can be accomplished.
We are FOR Inspiration – To be Breathed into and create wealth in the world.
Ernesto Verdugo @ 12:51 pm
Perry, recently there was a question in Facebook asking what marketer delivers the Most Value on their emails, and the usual suspects were written by other people, I said without any question in my mind: ‘Perry Marshall’ This document is again proof of my beliefs.
I hope one day to bring you to Dubai as I strongly believe that you’re one of the best marketers ever.
Keep it up, you’ve been a true inspiration (again)
Thank
Ernesto Verdugo
Perry @ 1:13 pm
Dubai is a great place! http://www.perrymarshall.com/travelogue/09-11-04/
John Chancellor @ 1:00 pm
Perry.
Those are great. All you would need to do is write a one page essay on each point and you have a great book. While the points are self-evident, some folks need a little more explanation. But that would be a great book … a great exercise in what we should be for, what we must fight for and what we must be against if we want to maintain our freedom and way of life.
Robert Schwarztrauber @ 1:52 pm
Excellent Perry! That’s one that has to be shared. I think I’ll frame it and put up on the wall for my kids to read too.
Becki Maxson @ 4:06 pm
Bravo. And bravo again. Passing this on to my young adult kiddos who are just starting out in the big confusing world.
Becki
Kim Willis @ 4:11 pm
This is great. I always read Perry’s posts and emails – have been for years. This one is one of the best, very powerful and thought provoking.
Ian Greenwood @ 4:53 pm
This should be the Entrepreneur’s Creed. Well done Perry this will do the rounds of the social media sites!
Thanks
Ian
Sharon Dugger @ 7:52 pm
WOW Perry! AWESOME! Thank you for allowing us to share this….I will keep it handy & read it often!
Blessings,
Sharon
Simon Phelan @ 4:07 am
The world works in deficit. The higher up the pecking order you are, the greater use you make of money you don’t have. Western Governments are arguably the worst offenders.
If I borrow an inordinate amount of money to fund a property purchase in the expectation that its value will grow sufficiently to cover the cost and make a profit, am I being an entrepeneur or am I just exploiting the future purchaser or the marketplace?
If growth fails to take place and I loose everything am I just unlucky or am I the criminal I will be made to feel by the reactions of the lenders and the authorities?
Sharon Ford @ 5:02 am
This is beyond amazing…I’m in an impossible spot right now and it seems like there’s no way out. I want to believe in integrity, guidance and contribution like I used to, but my partners are in Werewolf survival mode and appear to be less interested in principles than money. I am going to make this into a poster and put it in a prominent place so everyone understands the standard to which we must aspire.
Thank you, Perry – We’ll be at the Roundtable next year!
John McGraw @ 6:31 am
Perry, thanks. In the greatest family movie ever made “Second Hand Lions” The lead actor, an grumpy, elderly
Texan beats up an teenage gang up in a BBQ joint, and then brings them home to his house and gives them the “Everything a boy needs to know to be a man” speech that he used to give in the military to troops under his command. Upon dismissing the boy’s, he turns to his brother smiling with an look of pride on his face and proclaims “Them boys are going to be just fine”
A little later, the man’s great nephew has an life crisis about what is real and what to believe, he’s too young for the whole speech but is told “there are certain things that should be believed are true whether they are or not, Good always wins over evil, true love is forever, etc etc, these are the things worth believing in and building your life around” The rest of the speech in never revealed but I bet it’s an whole lot like the one you wrote.
If you’re ever having an bad day, especially at work marketing, play this movie and see what these two grumpy old Texans do for entertainment.
Lorwai Tan PhD @ 2:36 am
Perry
Would I be right in saying that this wisdom you share has been distilled from years of personal experience.
John Shull @ 8:54 am
Additions we would like to add: We are FOR being a good steward of the animals in your care. We are AGAINST people who consume whatever a corporation puts out and think profits weren’t the motive.
Urano @ 11:05 pm
Hi Perry.
It is a great “Credo” for us. I translated it to spanish and published it in http://uranogonzalez.com/Alquimia_A_Favor_y_En_ContraI put a link to this page.
Great Revelations!
Louis Esquivel @ 4:02 pm
Bravo!
Great ideas to ponder on this first day of the new year.
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Thank you Perry! As always you hit the nail right on the head Thanks!
